Hopewell sergeant serves his country one last time

In death, a Hopewell man has made history and has provided the nation a clear reminder of the cost of war.

In death, a Hopewell man has made history and has provided the nation a clear reminder of the cost of war.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers of Hopewell died in Afghanistan on April 4. Myers, 30, was killed near in Afghanistan, after being hit with an improvised explosive device, according to the Department of Defense. Last year he was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery in recognition of his efforts in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Myers was buried Monday at Arlington National Cemetery during which Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Air Force Maj. Gen. Del Eulberg attended the burial.

Weeks earlier, Sgt. Myers returned home during a solemn ceremony at Dover Air Force Base as an eight-member team wearing white gloves and camouflage fatigues carried his flag-drapped casket off a military transport.

What was different about Myer’s return home was that for the first time in 18 years it was witnessed by the media. With permission from his widow, Aimee, the military opened Dover Air Force Base earlier this month so reporters and photographers could chronicle his return. The mortuary there is the entry point for service members killed overseas.

The ban on media coverage dated back to 1991, when President George H.W. Bush imposed it during the Persian Gulf War. It was portrayed as a way to protect the privacy of grieving families.

We strongly support the privacy of families in their times of grief and anguish. But the ban did something else — it shielded the American public from the human cost of war.

And that is something we strongly oppose. The ban on media coverage has nothing to do with whether a person supports a conflict or not. But once American troops are committed to combat, every American must recognize that such a commitment comes with a human cost.

The new Pentagon policy leaves media coverage up to the family. That part of the policy can be troubling since families must decide about whether to allow media coverage, and whether to travel to Dover, within hours of being told of a loved one’s death.

While we sympathize with the plight of the family, the decision about media coverage belongs to the family.

The military’s long-term goal is to have each service member make the decision before deploying to a combat zone rather than having the family choose after the fact.

So far, families have not found media coverage to be an invasion of privacy. Since the ban was lifted, 19 families have been asked whether they wanted media coverage and 14 have said yes.

While we mourn the loss of Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers, he has done the nation one last service by reminding us that war comes with a terrible cost.

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